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Wake the Dead
"Wake the Dead" is the eleventh episode of and features the return of Solomon Grundy and Shayera Hol. It originally aired on December 18, 2004. Plot A group of students at Louisiana University perform a sort of magic ritual to get even with their bullies. Candles are lit and the floor is decorated with a rune while a spell is chanted. A dark cloud comes out of the floor in the middle of the rune, but one of the students stumbles backwards when a menacing face appears in the cloud, breaking the circle of sand with his foot. The cloud and the face disappear and all the candles are blown out. But far away, a grave marked "Solomon Grundy" begins to rumble. The students mistakenly call the ritual a "rip". Two of them leave and while the third starts clearing up, someone starts pounding on the door. Before the student can open it a large white arm crashes through and grabs the student by the head. In Dr. Fate's tower, Shayera Hol and Aquaman are playing a game of chess with Amazo watching. Shayera is withdrawn and takes little interest in the game, or in conversation. Aquaman tries to goad her, without success. He wins, and she walks away, saying, "it's just a game". Aquaman wonders aloud to Fate at what has happened to the fierce warrior Shayera used to be. Fate says she's trying to "find her way" after the Thanagarian invasion and her subsequent ousting from the Justice League. , "Starcrossed" Fate then excuses himself when he senses something, and Amazo challenges Aquaman to a new game. Shayera talks to Fate's wife, Inza, out in the garden (existing on a different dimensional plane). Shayera says Aquaman thinks she's been there too long, but she honestly doesn't know where her place is, or who she really is. Inza assures her that she'll know when to leave, and what to do, when the time is right. At a fashion show, Vixen walks down the catwalk and winks at her guest and boyfriend, John Stewart. They meet backstage where Stewart tells her that their date is canceled because of Justice League business. She comes out in her costume and Stewart takes on his Green Lantern costume. They fly to the trouble spot to see a police car being thrown into the air. Lantern catches it and lowers it to safety while Vixen runs to the scene. Grundy has returned and appears stronger than ever. He easily defeats Lantern and Vixen quickly proves herself when she manages to push Grundy back. However, he overcomes even Vixen's abilities but just as he is about to finish her and Green Lantern off, Superman arrives. Superman tries to reason with Grundy, who seems beyond communication. He attacks Superman and gains the upper hand. Back at Dr. Fate's tower, Amazo defeats Aquaman at chess again and they prepare for another game. Dr. Fate appears and informs them that Grundy has been raised from his by "chaos magic" and is more powerful than ever before. Hearing this, Shayera says that they have to help Grundy before the League kills him. Fate then reunites Shayera with her mace and they head out. Grundy continues to pound Superman and a punch sends Superman flying into a bridge support. As the bridge begins to collapse, Aquaman rises from the ocean atop an enormous Octopus that wraps its tentacles around the supports, stabilizing the bridge. But a single car goes over the edge, with a mother and her young daughter inside. Shayera swoops in and tears the roof off with her mace, then pulls the passengers free. As she sets them down up top, she sees John for the first time in months, and Superman emerges from the water. Superman suggests that he, Fate, and Amazo tackle Grundy first, but Shayera asks for a chance to reason with Grundy, because she knows him. , "The Terror Beyond" They agree, but the new Grundy is a mindless beast, and slams her into a wall. The heroes attack and Amazo says that he will end it. He unleashes his power on Grundy, but finds that the zombie can absorb it. Deciding it is too dangerous to let him absorb more, Amazo teleports several light years away to come up with a better solution. The heroes attack again, and take a bad beating until Shayera hits Grundy with her mace. She gets the upper hand and smashes him through the street to the sewers below. The heroes reconvene and Fate reminds them that this Grundy is not the Grundy they knew, only an empty shell of rage. The only thing to do is destroy him, and Hawkgirl's mace is probably the only weapon that can do it. John offers to do it, but she insists on doing it herself. She flies down and finds Grundy sitting. She tells him to close his eyes and raises her mace. Up top, John paces anxiously, and Superman says he's about to go in, but Hawkgirl flies out. She tells the group that it's done. A crowd has gathered and a reporter then asks Hawkgirl about her dismissal from the Justice League. Before Shayera can answer the reporters, John Stewart steps in (somewhat angrily) and states she was never dismissed from the League, and is free to return. He turns to Shayera and explains that he recused himself from the vote because of his history with her. That left a 3-2 vote in her favor, as Superman broke the tie. At hearing that, several members of the crowd shout angrily that she is a traitor. John starts to shout them down, but Hawkgirl says she deserves their abuse. She starts to walk off, but her hand is grabbed by the mother and daughter from the bridge, who warmly thank her for saving their lives. John smiles and says, "You deserve that, too." That gives Shayera a much-needed hopeful smile, and the heroes walk away. Continuity * It is finally revealed that Shayera's actions on "Starcrossed" led her to be stripped of her rank of Lieutenant and exiled from Thanagar. * Grundy's last appearance was in , "The Terror Beyond", which established the connections between Aquaman and Dr. Fate, and between Grundy and Shayera. Likewise, Dr. Fate alludes to his fight with Shayera in Part I of that episode. * Superman alludes to the fights he had against Grundy in episodes "Injustice For All", "Only A Dream, Part I" and "The Terror Beyond, Part I". * This episode marks the return of Shayera Hol to the Justice League since leaving the group after the events of "Starcrossed" and the Thanagarian invasion. The results of the vote at the end of that episode are revealed. * Superman's stated beliefs about "second chances" and "redemption" likely allude to "Legacy", which ended with him seeking to redeem himself to the people of Earth for what he did while under Darkseid's control. Background information Home video releases * * Justice League - The Complete Series (DVD) Production notes * This episode marks the first time Shayera Hol appears as a founding member in the opening credits. Production inconsistencies * Aquaman's statement "Check in five moves" is inconsistent with the positions of the pieces on the board. Shayera's first line is empty save for a rook; this would require at least seven moves. * When Green Lantern and Vixen arrive at the battle, a cop car is thrown at them. In the first shot, the side of that car is blank, but when he puts it down it has a MPD-style badge on the side (though lacking the "M"). Trivia * This episode pays homage to the old Marvel superheroes-as-outsiders team, the Defenders. In the comics the Defenders included Dr. Strange, the Hulk, Nighthawk, the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer among others. The respective counterparts in this episode are Dr. Fate, Solomon Grundy, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, and Amazo. A similar homage team was assembled for "The Terror Beyond". * Another reference to the Hulk is when Dr. Fate explains the magic powering Solomon Grundy had no known upper limit, in the comics it is stated that the Hulk's physical strength also had no known upper limit. * The result of the vote on Hawkgirl's remaining in the Justice League in "Starcrossed" is revealed. She was going to be allowed to remain a member of the Justice League. Green Lantern recused himself due to his personal feelings for her and Superman cast the tiebreaking vote. * This episode marked the last DCAU appearances of Amazo, Aquaman, and Solomon Grundy. * The man sitting next to John at the fashion show resembles Howlin' Jake. * Louisiana University, where the students perform the ritual that raises Solomon Grundy, is fictitious, but the shot of the school at the beginning of the scene resembles the actual Louisiana State University campus. * Shayera refers to John's favorite movie being Old Yeller a fact also referenced in , "Hearts and Minds", and the subsequent episode "Hunter's Moon". The movie, and the book on which it is based, follow the adventures of a farm boy and his beloved dog, and ends with the dog contracting rabies, forcing the boy to put him down. * In the dorm room where the students perform the ritual, there is an action figure of ''Hellboy'' on the dresser. There is also a bottle of soda that has what appears to be a black-on-red version of the Teen Titans Red X symbol on the label. * In the comics, Solomon Grundy has died multiple times. Each time he comes back with a vaguely different personality, varying levels of intelligence, strength and power. The way Grundy appears in this episode in contrast with his previous appearance seems similar to the comics in that way. * Amazo's voice has distinctively changed since his last appearance, and now sounds more like Robert Picardo's natural voice. Cast Quotes Footnotes Category:A to Z Category:Justice League Unlimited episodes